When you’re starting a small business, one of the most important things you need to do is create a budget. This document will outline your expenses and your income, and it will help you stay on track as your business grows. There are many factors to consider when creating a budget for your small business, and this article will discuss some of the most important ones. [Read more…]
Understanding the Manufacturing Market Before Starting a Small Business
A major part of succeeding in your business when you start is to make sure that your finances are in check. You also need to research thoroughly so that you know well what to expect in the industry you choose and there are no surprises that you cannot deal with. If you want to start a small business in manufacturing, read on to see what you need to understand about the market before you get started.
Prioritize Supply Chain Management
In the first half of 2020, the volume of trading across the seas dropped by 9.5%. At the same time, total global trade dropped by 16% in comparison to the same period the previous year. What does this mean exactly? In manufacturing, it’s important for you to prioritize your supply chain management and make sure that there are no kinks throughout the process. This means getting efficient suppliers and also having a backup in place. Find an alternative supplier on whom you can rely in a pinch if things get out of hand. You should also have some additional inventory in storage in case of an emergency, but make sure not to have too much of it or keep it around for too long lest you end up with large amounts of dead stock.
Have a Solid Backup for Capital in Place
As mentioned, it’s important to secure your finances and have a backup plan in place with this in mind. Start a savings plan and fund it religiously so that in case of an unexpected event, you don’t have to close shop. Also, line up financiers who can work hand in hand with you to ensure that you get the right backing you need so there’s a lower chance of missing out on an opportunity as a result of spotty funding.
Train Your Staff Well
If you have a team of staff, invest in them by making sure that they’re adequately trained. Start with a solid foundation by hiring the best on the market in the first place. This way, you may have a shorter route to take to arrive at the endpoint that you want to get to. In the United States alone, there are almost 12.5 million manufacturing workers. This accounts for 8.5% of the workforce and makes it easy enough to get a diligent team if you put in the work. Offer good perks and put the best practices to work for your manufacturing business so that it’s easy to attract and retain the best.
Put Good Communication in Place
Good communication will help at all levels of your manufacturing business. From ensuring that your own team works efficiently to be able to deal with suppliers and customers effectively, good communication can make a big difference to your business. Make it easy to pass information from one point to the other by ensuring that there are systems in place for all of this and you will have an easier time enforcing proper communication and growing your business. Remember that in manufacturing, the average cost of downtime is $260,000 per hour, so let this fact motivate you to do your best to minimize the risk of downtime as a result of poor communication.
Don’t Forget About Marketing
Marketing is another essential part of a business that will grow and thrive. For this reason, think about it and enlist the help of an expert if necessary to do so. This could make a big difference to the way and rate at which your manufacturing business grows. Find the best way to market your business, and you could increase your chances of growing organically.
When you keep the pointers above in mind for your manufacturing business, you increase your chances of getting things done right. Don’t be in a hurry to see success, but allow a reasonable amount of time and remember that there are many variables that could dictate the way things go.
Tips for Streamlining Your Machining Business
As the owner of a machining business, you may be wondering about how you can streamline it and improve your finances. While there’s undoubtedly a lot of competition on the market, it’s possible to level up and get a chance at succeeding. The tips below should make this easier for you to do this.
Research Thoroughly
In this industry, just like in any other, it’s important to research best practices and more. Keep an eye on your competition in order to learn from them when you can. This may save you from making some costly mistakes while scaling up. Don’t forget to listen to your target market so that you know what they want and are able to give it to them. When you do this, it will be easier for you to know the right steps to take and at what time you should take them.
For example, you may research new methods and tools to use in your business to streamline processes. One technique for heat treating is normalizing. It entails holding a part under heat as high as 1700°F and then air cooling it to make it more consistent and increase its ferritic grains. You may be interested in this normalizing treatment in your own business.
Develop Strategic Partnerships
Partnerships can either make your business or break your business, so you need to develop them in a strategic way. Find partners who share your beliefs and are as passionate and informed as you, if not more. Doing this can help you weather tough business periods and come out stronger on the other side, ready to improve and with your finances secure. People with positive mindsets will also be good to have on your side, as will creative ones who can help you identify successful solutions to issues you may face on a regular basis.
Get Your Financing in Order
Whether you’re starting out or have been running your machining business for a while, it’s important to ensure that you have your financing in order. This can make it easy for you to stay afloat even if things don’t go according to plan. Many business owners will tell you that this can make a big difference to the rate at which a business grows, among other things. For example, you could enlist the help of factoring companies, which can help small businesses bridge gaps in their invoice payment with upfront payments that could cover a whopping 90% of the original invoice. Work with a good accountant as well so that you know you aren’t losing money that you should be saving.
Get the Necessary Help
Remember to outsource the tasks you’re unable to do well to others who can. Knowing what to focus on and what to get help with is a trait of a competent business owner who has a good chance to succeed. When you don’t spread yourself too thin trying to keep your hands on every single aspect of your business, it will be easier to get good overall results without burning out.
Stay Flexible
Finally, flexibility is going to enable you to cater to your market a lot better, so it’s important to be ready to pivot when necessary. A lot of unexpected things can happen while running a business, and in this case, it is the most agile businesses that survive. With the increasing demand for high efficiency in complex machining products that is forecasted to drive the market for machine tooling, you should be ready to jump at a good opportunity when you see it. Make sure that your team and your systems are both capable of working extra hard when that push is required to better your business.
Make use of these suggestions to streamline your machining business and get the most out of it. When you look back on it years down the line, you should be proud of the decisions you made that led you to where you end up.
How to Transfer Assets to Children Before Death
If you are a parent, you already know it’s important to plan for your children in case something happens to you. One way to do this is by transferring assets to them before you die and in your estate planning. This can be done in a number of ways, and each has its benefits. In this blog post, we will discuss the different options available to you and how each can help protect your children’s future.
Remember: Generational Wealth building isn’t just for parents: grandparents, aunties, and uncles can change the shape of the entire next generation.
Work with A Family Law Attorney and a Tax Planner
There are many different ways to transfer assets to your children, and almost all of them require a lawyer and have tax implications. It is important to consult with an attorney as well as a tax planner, both to choose the transfer structure that is right for you and also to ensure that the documents are compliant with Federal and State property and tax law.
Draw Up a Will
One way to transfer assets to your children before death is through a will. A will is a legal document that outlines how you would like your assets to be distributed after you die. A will doesn’t actually transfer ownership of your assets until after you die, but it can be used to specify exactly who should receive what.
If you have a will, it is important to keep it up-to-date as your life and circumstances change. You should also review it regularly with a family law attorney to make sure it still meets your needs.
One important note: a will is great for establishing your wishes for the distribution of your assets are followed, but it will not keep your estate out of probate. Probate is the legal process of distributing a person’s assets after they die, via the courts in your state. It can be time-consuming and expensive, if you have substantial or complex assets, so many people choose a trust.
Create and Move Assets Into A Trust
A trust is an arrangement in which one person (the trustee) holds and manages property for another person (the beneficiary). It’s a critical part of estate planning. Transferring assets into a trust can help avoid probate because the trustee can distribute the assets according to your wishes without having to go through the court system.
Moving assets into a trust that can be managed by a trustee will give your children access to the assets when they reach a certain age while ensuring that the assets are managed responsibly.
One common type of trust is a living trust, which is created during your lifetime. You can name yourself the trustee, which gives you control over the assets during your lifetime. Then, when you die, the trust remains in force and the beneficiary can receive the assets without having to go through probate. You can even trigger the execution of your trust before you pass away.
This is a good option if you want to maintain control over the assets during your lifetime, but also want to avoid probate.
Name Beneficiaries on Financial Accounts and Insurance Policies
Most financial accounts and life insurance policies allow you to name a beneficiary. This means that the account or policy will be transferred to the named beneficiary upon your death, without having to go through probate. Having updated beneficiaries is the cheapest and easiest way to transfer assets such as retirement accounts, bank accounts, and life insurance policies.
It is important to review your beneficiaries regularly and update them as needed, especially after major life events such as marriage, divorce, birth, or death. This can be especially important for single parents and blended families.
Transfer Assets During Your Lifetime
Another way to transfer assets to your children before death is through a gift or by selling the asset to them for less than its fair market value.
The upside of this option is that you are still around to help them manage the asset. The downside is that lifetime transfers have serious tax implications that vary depending on the value of the asset and your state’s laws.
Gift Assets to Your Children
You can give $16,000 per year, per child (or any other recipient) without needing to file any tax forms or pay any tax. If you are married, you and your spouse can each give $16,000, for a total of $30,000 per child. More importantly, the current (2022) Federal gift tax lifetime limit is $12.06 million per person, and you can also double it if married. While it would require you to file a form, gifts of any size can be given to your children without owing any gift tax, as long as the total amount gifted during your lifetime does not exceed the $12.06 million limit.
Sell Assets to Your Children for Less Than Their Fair Market Value
You can also sell assets to your children for less than their fair market value. This is The most advanced move, absolutely requires a competent lawyer and tax planner, and is generally most appropriate for family businesses. Generally, this involves a contract in which you sell the asset to your children for an agreed-upon price that is less than the fair market value.
There are a few different ways to transfer assets to your children before death. The most common ways are through a trust, naming beneficiaries on financial accounts and insurance policies, or transferring the assets during your lifetime.
Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, so it is important to discuss your options with a family law attorney and tax professional to choose the option that best suits your family.
Claire Hunsaker, ChFC®, is a Chartered Financial Consultant featured in American Express, Forbes, Parents, Real Simple, and Insider. She offers free financial planning for single women through AskFlossie, where she is CEO. Claire holds an MBA from Stanford and is an IRS-certified Tax Preparer. She has 20 years of business and leadership experience and approaches money topics with real talk and real humor.
Lease vs. Own: A Company’s Guide To Having Its Own Building
A company building is an essential element for any business. It’s where you’ll run your major operations and where your clients will come to see you. When it comes to an office building, you can decide to lease or own it. With leasing, you’ll take ownership of the building for an agreed period, beyond which it ceases to be yours. On the other hand, owning means that you construct your building or buy it as a whole, transferring its total ownership from the previous owner to you. In this article, owning will refer to constructing rather than buying a building.
How will you know the best choice for your business between these two options? This article will guide you by discussing each option under various aspects. Read on for the insight! [Read more…]
5 Reasons Your Business Needs Expense Management Software
Typically, expenses play a crucial role in running a business. They’re considered an outflow of money used to sustain your day-to-day company operations. However, managing business expenses can be complicated and confusing if done traditionally. Keeping track of every cost can be challenging with all the manual processes involved and paper receipts and invoices. Hence, using expense management software should come into play. [Read more…]
Pros and Cons of Self-Employment
The number of businesses that have started since the start of the pandemic has shot through the roof. People realized how short life can be and decided to take their earning potential and work-life into their own hands. Here are a few stats to illustrate the self-employment picture in the U.S.:
- As of 2019, the self-employed section of the population accounted for nearly 30% of total employment (Source).
- As of November of 2021, there are 9.9 million self-employed people in the United States.
- 96% of self-employed people don’t want regular jobs (Source)
Business structures
Sole proprietorship – There is no separate business entity. You are the business entity. That means your assets and liabilities are your assets and liabilities. Banks are more hesitant to lend to sole proprietors than they are for other entity types.
Partnership (LP/LLP) – An limited partnership (LP) has one general partner with unlimited liability and all the other partners have limited liability. Creditors can come after all of the general partner’s assets including things they personally own. Limited liability partners can only lose what they put in. A limited liability partnership provides limited liability to all partners. Profits are paid through on personal tax returns, except for the general partner – they must pay self-employment taxes.
LLC – Very similar to the LLP in terms of how profits, losses, and liabilities are treated. Profits are passed through to employees on personal returns. However, members of the LLC are required to file and pay self-employment taxes.
Retirement plan options
As a self-employed individual, you have a few options when it comes to retirement accounts – Traditional IRA and Roth IRA (available to everyone), SIMPLE IRA, Solo 410(k), and SEP IRA.
Traditional IRA and Roth IRA – Contribution limits up to $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re 50 and older). Withdrawals prior to 59 ½ are subject to a 10% tax penalty unless certain conditions are met.
SIMPLE IRA – available to employers with fewer than 100 employees. Contribution limits up to $14,000 ($17,000 if 50 or older). Employer match available.
Solo 401(k) – Contribution limit is $61,000 ($67,500 if 50 or older). Available to self-employed individuals and self-employed individuals that have their spouse as their only employee.
SEP IRA – Contribution limit is 25% of employee compensation up to $61,000.
Click here for more information about business retirement plans.
Be your own boss
You get to set your own hours and work with whoever you want to. There’s no one to tell you what to do and how to do it. For people that like to make their own schedule and like to go to the beat of their own drum, self-employment makes a lot of sense.
Earning potential
There’s no ceiling on your earning potential. You don’t have a salary range, you make what you make. You can make $10,000 or you can make $10 million. That’s a double-edged sword though, your effort determines your income. You will only make money if you work for it. Someone who isn’t a self-starter, should not be self-employed.
Costs
You have to pay for everything. Whatever the cost of business is for your sector or industry, that’s on you. Health insurance, you have to pay for that. There’s no business or employer that can foot those costs for you. Same with your retirement plan, a lot of employers offer an employee match. If you’re the business owner and the employee, ALL of your contributions are your responsibility.
Related reading:
6 Ways to Save Money When You’re Self-Employed
How to Be Self-Employed Safely and Wisely
Disclaimer:
**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com
My name is Jacob Sensiba and I am a Financial Advisor. My areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, retirement planning, budgets, and wealth management. Please feel free to contact me at: jacob@crgfinancialservices.com
6 Financing Strategies For Business Growth
There are several strategies to enhance operations and sales if your company has reached a position where growth should be a top concern. In such instances, the extra funding necessary is the first that comes to mind. It can be a challenging journey for most business owners, especially those encountering obstacles.
How to Lower Business Expenses Without Compromising Quality
If you simply think about cutting expenses alone, then you’re going about conserving your funds in the wrong way. In addition, you’re likely to create headaches for yourself, such as damaging your brand image and disrupting the quality of your products and services.
A smarter way to cut your business expenses is to reorganize your business to make it more efficient and productive.
When you look at lowering your business expenses systematically, you’ll notice something interesting: this approach not only improves cash flow but also improves the quality of your business operations.
Naturally, the better you run your business, the more money you will make and the faster it will grow.
The key idea to keep in mind here is this: if you can cut your business expenses strategically, you’ll improve the quality of your business.
Some rather straightforward ways to do this include outsourcing technical work, increasing the efficiency of business operations, and decreasing overhead costs by identifying and eliminating waste.
Let’s take a closer look at these various options.
- Outsource technical jobs.
You don’t always need to hire full-time or part-time people for everything. You can outsource some of your work. Certain work, specifically technical work that can be done online, could be delegated to independent contractors.
You can save a considerable amount on your labor costs by hiring people from all over the world. Many are subject matter experts at the technical work you need to get done.
Consider using global employment services to find workers overseas. They will find people with the technical skills that you need for high-quality work. Often, you can hire someone from another country at a lower fee because of the economic discrepancy between different countries.
Start outsourcing in a small way to familiarize yourself with the process.
To ensure high-quality work, don’t simply hire someone because of the lower cost of hiring them. You also need to screen them. Do they have the knowledge and skill you need to get the job done quickly and well? Carefully review portfolios of promising candidates and ask for samples of their best work.
- Improve the efficiency of your operations.
You may be wasting more money than you realize on inefficient operations. Review your most important business operations and brainstorm ways that they could be done quicker, cheaper, and more efficiently going forward.
Here are some examples of what to review:
* Compare the price of the different vendors who supply the goods or services you need to run your business. Is it possible to switch vendors? You may be able to get the same or similar goods or services at a lower cost.
* Notice if you have too many unnecessary steps in some of your business processes. This could be a waste of time and money. Is it possible to streamline this business process?
* Evaluate the productivity levels of your staff. Is it possible to boost productivity by providing in-house training? Although this would initially increase costs, a more skillful team will do everything better and faster. This, of course, will improve profits.
- Reduce wasting money on unnecessary overhead costs. Your business may be spending more on overheads than necessary. Do a line-by-line analysis of your overhead costs to detect waste that you can either minimize or eliminate. For example, perhaps energy costs may be unnecessarily high because you are using antiquated lighting systems or your trash collection could be changed to bi-weekly or monthly because you focus on additional recycling and sustainable kitchenette and bathroom products at the office.
Think of ways to go green. For example, by getting solar panels installed, you could dramatically reduce all your energy costs.
Besides improving energy efficiency, there may be many more instances when you overlooked creeping costs. For example, you may never have taken the time to notice how much money you were throwing away on things that you didn’t need at all.
The Bottom Line
When you tally up how much money you save by taking these three steps, you might decide to review your business costs quarterly.
If you don’t periodically monitor creeping costs in a variety of things–things like labor efficiency, supplier pricing, and wastage–then you will be increasing costs and reducing profits.
Are Business Gifts Tax Deductible?
How do you strengthen relationships with customers and/or business partners? A tried and true way is using gifts. However, gifts cost money, so the next question is, are business gifts tax deductible?
The straight answer is yes, but it’s much more nuanced than that.
There are limitations
Business gifts are tax deductible, up to a certain dollar amount. You can deduct no more than $25 of the cost of the gift you give to each person through the course of the year.
Incidental costs such as engraving, packaging, and shipping are not included in the $25 limit as long as it doesn’t add substantial value to the gift.
Gifts that cost $4 or less are not included in the $25 limit IF the company name is permanently placed on the item and the gift is widely distributed.
Entertainment
Any item that can be considered a gift or entertainment is usually considered entertainment and is deducted at 50% of the value of the gift. For purchases that fall under both categories, use the “gift deduction” on lower-cost items and the “entertainment deduction” on items larger than $50.
Gifts to others
If you and your spouse give gifts to the same person, you’re treated as one taxpayer. The same rule applies to partnerships.
Gifting to a customer’s family counts as a gift to that customer, unless the customer’s family member(s) is a client as well.
The $25 limit only applies to gifts given to individuals. Gifts given to other companies, generally, don’t apply and are fully tax deductible.
Gifts to employees are taxable compensation.
Other relevant information
Keep adequate documentation that includes the purpose of the gift, what was spent, the date of purchase, and the business relationship.
Gifts given to a 501(c)3 non-profit are tax-deductible. Up to 25% of taxable income for a corporation.
A large majority of the information I have listed above came from the IRS publication about “Gift taxes”.
Related reading:
Some Often Overlooked Tax Deductions for Business Owners
**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com
My name is Jacob Sensiba and I am a Financial Advisor. My areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, retirement planning, budgets, and wealth management. Please feel free to contact me at: jacob@crgfinancialservices.com
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